Automatic phonograph



Jan. 19, 194-3. o.-A. HOKANSON AUT OMATIC PEONOGRAPH l I Filed Feb. 20, 1941 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR 4- 34am, razm A AT TORN EY Jan. 19, 1943. o. A. HoKANsN 0 AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH I Filed Feb. 20, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a! 50 10 a7 62 4o 24' 3a INVENTOR 44% 4 W, W W% ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1943 i AUTOMATIC PHONOGBAPH Otto A. Hokanson, Snyder, N. Y., assignor to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, North Tona wands, N. Y., a corporation of Ohio :Application February 20, 1941, Serial No. 379,798 9 Claims. (01. 274-10) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic phonographs, and more particularly to improvements in the typ /of phonograph shown in my United States Patent No. 2,096,718, dated October 26, 1937, and wherein the records are arranged in stack-like fash-.

ion on the turntable for selective play.

'One of the objects of this invention is to provide an automatic phonograph of this type which is composed of fewer parts to cheapen its manufacturing and assembling operations and to reduce to a minimum the number of moving parts and as well the power required to operate them. Another object is to provide th phonograph with means for selectively controlling the playing of the records by imparting vertical movement to the turntable in such a way that the latter in its movements governs the selective positioning of the records for playas well as provides the necessary clearance space for permitting the operation of the tone arm in playing the records.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanyin drawings:

Figure'l is a top plan view, partly in section, of the phonograph embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section, showing the parts in playing position. Figure 3 is a front elevation thereof. Fi ure 4 is a side elevation of the turntable and associated mechanism for governing its elevatin movements. Figure 5 is a detail front view, partly in section, of the record-engaging supports for supporting the upper split portion of the record stack during the playing operation. Figure 6 is a side elevation showing the locking device associated with' the turntable-elevating means. Figure '7 is a sectional-plan view of the drive mechanism for controlling the turntable elevating cam. Figures 8, 9- and 10 are fragmentary elevational views showing the various positions of the turntable in selecting a record for play. I

Referring now to the drawings, showing more particularly the chassis of the phonograph, l0 indicates a frame or platform on which the working parts of the phonograph are mounted, and which in practice is adapted to be arranged 'within a suitable cabinet. Rising from adjacent one corner of this platform is an upright post II on which the tone arm I! is mounted for movement in a horizontal plane during the playing of a record'and which is also adapted to swing vertically for movement into and out of playing engagement'with a record. Any suitable means may be employed for controlling these movements of the tone. arm to and from playing engagement with a record, such for example as disclosed in my aforesaid patent. The turntable i3 is mounted on an upright spindle whose lower portion I l is keyed or feathered to a revolving sleeve I! applied to an upright bearing member I6 secured to the platform I 0 and having a driven gear I'I thereon meshing with a drive pinion l8 secured to the shaft l9 of an electric motor 20. The upper portion 2| of the spindle rises above the turntable and constitutes a guide post for the several records and their trays or carriers 22. As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4,-the records are disposed in superposed relation or in stack-like fashion on the turntable, the latter being capable of axial movement to a selective position to initially select a given record in' the stack for play, and thereafter capable of further axial movement to split the record stack at the record selected to bring the selected record at an elevation for playing engagement with the tone arm' and at the same time provide the necessary operating clearance between the split portions of the stack for the operation of the tone arm. By preference, the record trays at their.

peripheries slope upwardly and inwardly to provide resulting shoulders at the bottom edges of the trays for a purpose hereinafter described. Depending from the turntable about its spindleportion I6 is a collar 23 with which a means is engageable for controlling the axial movements of the turntable during the selecting cycle.

The means for axially shifting the turntable and preferably governing the lowering movement of the turntable with its stack of records from v a normally elevated position to one or another of a plurality of predetermined levels in accordance with a given record selected, consists of a vertically swinging actuating arm 24 pivoted at 25 to a bracket 26 rising from one side of the platform l0 and having at its free end a roller 21 which engages an oblique or elevating cam 28.

arm 24 is a vertically swinging lever Ii whose inner arm is bifurcated and embraces the spindie-engaging collar 23, so that when this lever is vertically actuated about its pivot it causes the vertical displacement of the turntable to the split-stack position shown in Figure 10. The other or outer arm 32 of this lever terminates at its outer end in a gear segment 28 disposed about the pivot III which meshes with a companion segment 34 applied to one arm of a bell crank ll pivoted at 2!. The vertical swinging movement of the lever II is limited by a stop pin 36 applied to the arm 24 and'engaging an arcuate slot 21 in the segment portion or the lever-arm 32. Motion may be transmitted to the cam shaft 2! from the motor shaft ll through the medium of a gear ll meshing with the gear II and mounted on a stub shaft 32 having a bevel gear 40 thereon meshing with a like gear ll fixed on a horizontal shalt 42 Journaled in suitable bearings applied to the platform IO. Loosely mounted on-this shaft ls'a clutch-controlled gear 43 meshing with a similar gear 44 fixed-on one end of a countershait 4! provided at its opposite end with a worm ll meshing with a worm wheel 41 fixed on the cam-shalt 29. A sliding clutch coliar 48 keyed to the shaft 42 and actuated by a clutch lever 49 serves at predetermined times to II at one side 0! the turntable-spindle, shown in Figure 1. By this construction, as the sleeve is turned in one direction or the other, the record-supporting arms .50 are correspondingly moved simultaneously into or out or supporting engagement with that record-immediately above the one selected for play.

vMeans are provided for operating, at predetermined times in the selecting cycle. the levers 3i and 38 to control the elevating movements of the turntable and the rocking movements of the record-ensuing arms I0 into and out or their clutch the gear 43 to said shaft and accordingly l transmit motion to the cam shaft 2!. The mechanism for automatically shifting the clutch lever II to its applied and releasedpositions to transmit motion to the t'umtable-elevating cam 28, and arrest it at the predetermined elevation corresponding to that at which the record is seiected, may be as shown and described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,096,718, but inasmuch as that mechanism forms no part or the present invention it has not been deemed necessary. to go into the details thereof.

Aiter the turntable with its run stack of records is lowered from its normally elevated position shown in Figure 8 to a lowered predeiermined selective level, as shown in Figure '9, and as determined by the selective arresting of the cam 28, a means is provided for supp rting any records of-this stack which are above the record selected for play, so that upon the further lowering oi the turntable to the playing position shown in Figures 2, 3 and 10, with its selected record exposed, the record stack issplit with the upper portion of the stack supported at an elevation to provide a clearance tor the movement of the tone arm II when playing the selected record. These means consist oi pairs of upright supporting arms ll disposed at diametrically opposite sides of the turntable and each provided adjacent its upper end with an inwardly-facing shouldered lug or projection II which is adapted to form a supporting seat for supporting engagement with the lower peripheral side 01' that record-tray immediately above the one selected. As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the arms ll oi each pair are connected at their lower ends to a companion horizontally-dispoud rock bar I2 fulcrumed at its ends in brackets l3 rising-from the platform I. and provided at its lower end with a depending actuating crank N to govern the inward and outward displacement of the arms relative to the record-stack. Extending from the cranks oi the com rock -bars ll'are opposite links ll whose inner ends are pivotally connected to companion lugs I extending ironi diametrlcally opposite sides of an upright oscillat- 50 and 81 is such that when motion is transmitted record supporting position. For this purpose, I preierabhr employ a master cam l8, shown in Figure I; mounted at the upper end of an upright shalt II suitably Journaied on the platform ii and having a worm gear I thereon meshing with a worm I fixed on a countershait l2 having a gear I! thereon meshing with a companion gear '4 loosely mounted on the shaft 42 in operative relation to the clutch collar 48. Thus, when the clutch collaris coupled with the gear 84, motion is transmitted to the cam shai't 50 to rotate its cam 88. The latter is provided in its top 'side with an outer cam-groove 08 with which a rolier-fltted-arm Ol radiating from the upper end oi the sleeve I1 is adapted to engage and at predetermined times cause the oscillation of such sleeve to govern the inward and outward displacement of the record-engaging arms 50. Inwardly or the cam-groove C8 the cam 58 is provided with a cam-groove O1 withwhich a roller-titted arm '8 applied to the upper end oi an oscillating sleeve I! is adapted to engage. Connected at one end to a crank arm I! radiating from this sleeve is a link." whose other end is connected to the depending arm of the bell crank lever 85, as shown in Figure 4, whereby at predetermined times said arm Cl is oscillated in onedirection or the other to accordingly actuate thebell crank lever 25 in directions to displace the lever ,ll, through the medium of the meshing gear segments 23 and M, and cause the lowering of the turntable to split the stack of records selected at one time in the cycle of operations and at the other time to elevate the turntable to its selected elevation with the split stack portions reunited as a unit, as shown in Figure 9. I l

The shape or contour 01' t cam-grooves CI to the cam 58, which is subsequent to the initial lowering stroke oi the turntable to a given preselected level by the oblique cam 28, the recorden a in arms II are swung inwardly by the ac tion oi the cam-groove 66 and companion arm "tosupportthoserecordsinthestackabovethe selectedone, as shown in Figure 9, after which the companion cam-Igroove 61, through the mediumoi'thearmflandlink'lLactuatesthegear segment levers 32 and ll in a direction to further lower the turntable with its lower split portion or the record stack to the position shown in Figare 10, and thereby provide the'necessary clearing sleeve l1 suitably Joumsled on the plattorin 7s ance space required for the movement or the tone am over the selected record. 1 The iinal down stroke'oi the turntable is limited by the pin and slot "and 21, respectively, and in this position the turntable is supported during the playing 0!- the recordandatwhichtimethecamllis. stopped. when the playing 0! the record is compieted. the cam II is again .ct in motion and the first part oi its revolution causes the'turntable to be elevated to its previously selected level where itssplit portion oi the stack rejoins that the clutch collar 48 coupled with the gear 43,

portion of the stack supported by the arms 58, after which the latter, on the final stroke of the cam, are rocked outwardly and released from supporting engagement with the records. Thereupon the cam 28 is automatically set in motion and the turntable with its full stack of records is elevated to its normal position ready for the next selection on that turn of such cam to again lower the turntable to the level corresponding to the next record preselected for play.

During the down movement of the turntable to a preselected level as determined by the cam 28, as well as during the return of the turntable to its initial elevated position after the playing of a selected record, the actuating arm 24 is lowered or raised and the segment gear levers 3| and 35 move as a unit therewith about the common fulcrum 25. To insure such action and relieve the gear segments of the strain for so doing, I provide a latching device for coupling the se ment gear levers to the actuating lever during the aforesaid movements of the turntable and io-r releasing such levers from the actuating arm for independent movement during the lowering and raising movements of the turntable to and from playing position. This latching device preferably consists of a vertically-swinging latching lever 12 pivoted intermediate its ends at 13 to one side of the actuating arm 24 adjacent the opposing ends of the gear segments 33 and 34 and terminating at its upper end in a hook 14 adapted to releasably'engage a stud 15 projecting from the adjoining end of the lever arm 32. A spring 15 connected at one end to the arm 24 and its other end to the latching lever 12 below its pivot serves to constantly urge such lever to the arm 24 during the selecting cycle, and when the arm 68 is actuatedto impart a thrust to the link H to lower the turntable to playing position, the tail end of the latching lever is moved therewith to rock such lever in a direction to release its hook 14 from the stud l5 and thereby enable the levers 3| and to perform their normal function of lowering the turntable from a selected level to a playing position and vice versa. When the levers 3| and 35 are actuated to elevate the turntable from its playing position to its previously selected level, the link II is thrust in the opposite direction and in so doing causes the latching lever to be restored to its latched position, in which position the parts remain during the final elevating stroke of the turntable to its normal elevation as well as during the initial lowering of the turntable from that position to a iven selected position or level.

The means for governing the selection of the records and for controlling the movements of the turntable to its selecting levels may be of any appropriate construction and such mechanism may be the same as disclosed in my prior aforesaid patent. Also the means for governing the movement of the tone arm to and from playing P ition may be of any appropriate construction and as disclosed in my aforesaid patent.

Briefly stated, the operation of this phonograph mechanism is as follows:

When a patron depresses a given selector button l9; assuming the motor 28 to be running and the turntable with its full stack of records is lowered from the position shown in Figure 8 to a corresponding preselected level by the cam 28, that is, to a level shown in Figure 9 wherein the shouldered seats 5| of the arms 58 will, when swung inwardly, engage beneath that record tray immediately above the one selected for play, and at which position the cam 28 is automatically stopped. Thereupon, when the clutch collar is shifted into engagement with the gear 84, the cam 58 will be automatically set in motion and through the medium of its cam-groove 65, links 55, and arm 88 the record-supporting arms will be rocked inwardly into supporting engagement with that recordimmediately above,

the one selected for play. The companion camgroove 61 then comes into operation to actuate the arm 68 and link H to release the latching lever 12 from the stud 'IS and impart an upward movement to the gear segments 33, 34 to cause the lever 3| to lower the turntable to its record-playing position with any records thereon spaced below that portion of the stack of records supported bythe arms 50. At this time the cam 58 is stopped and thereupon the tone arm is swung into engagement with the selected record to play it. After the playing of this selectedrecord the cam 58 is again set -in motion to raise the turntable to its initial selected level where the records are rejoined into one complete unit stack, and the latching lever I2 during the tail end of this turntable movement is.restored into latching engagement with the stud 15 to couple the levers 3| and 35 for subsequent joint movement with' the actuating arm 24. The selector cam 28 is then set in motion to elevate the turntable and its stack of records to initial elevated position ready for the next selecting cycle.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a phonograph, a tone arm, a vertically adjustable turntable adapted to normally support a stack of records. to be selectively played, means disposed at a fixed level alongside the path of travel of the turntable andits recordstack and projectable into intercepting, temporary supporting engagement with one oranother of the records to effect the splitting of the stack at the record to be played, and means for actuating the turntable successively to a given selecting level relative to said record-supporting means and then in a like direction to a position displaced therefrom to split the stack at the record to be played and to provide an overhead clearance for the travel of the tone arm over such record,said turntable-actuating means including a system of levers and cams, one of the cams selectively controlling the displacement of the levers to position the turntable at its select level and the other cam controlling the displacement of the levers to move the turntable to and from its stack splitting position.

2. In a phonograph, a tone arm, a vertically adjustable turntable adapted tosupport a stack of records, record-engaging means disposed a t a substantially fixed level outwardly of the turntable and movable into and out of peripheral supporting engagement with any record or records above a record to be played, a selector governing cam' operatively connected to the turntable for actuating it to one or another of a plurality of elevations with a given record thereon when said second cam is rendered operative motion is transmitted to said levers independently oi the actuating arm to displace the turntable to given' record and for actuating the turntable to and from a playing position spaced from the level oi said record-engaging means.

I 3. In an automatic phonograph, a tone arm, a vertically adjustable turntable adapted to nor- ,mally support a stack oi records and movable from an initial elevation to diiI'erent selective elevations companion to a record to be played and in the same direction to a third elevation at which such record is played, leverage means operatively connected to the turntable i'or actuating it to its di'ilerent positions of elevation, a

cam operatively associated with said leverage means for controlling the movement of the turntable to and from its selective elevations, a second cam operatively associated with said leverage means for controlling the movement of the turntable to and from its playing elevation, and means disposed at a fixed level along the selective path of travel of the turntable for 'movement into and out oi engagement with those records above a record to be played for tem-' porarily supporting them at such selective'elevation during the movement of the turntable to and from the elevation at which the record is played.

4. In an automatic phonograph, a tone arm, a vertically adjustable turntable adapted to nor mally support a stack 01' records and movable from an initial elevation to diflerent selectiveage means for controlling the movement of the turntable to and from .its playing elevation, means disposed, at a iixed level along the selec- 'tive path oi travel oi the turntable for movement into and out of engagement with those" records above a record to be played for temporarily supporting them at such selective elevation during the movement of the turntable to and from the elevation at which the record is played, and an operative connection between said second cam 4 and said record-supporting means for actuating the latter at predetermined times into and out of engagement with the records.

5. In an automatic phonograph, a vertically adiustable turntable adapted to support a-stack ct records and movable from an initial elevation v to diflerent selective elevations companion to a record to be played and to a third elevation at which such record is played, and means for actuating the turntable to such selective and playing elevations including a cam, a vertically-swinging actuating arm in operative engagement with said cam. asecond cam, andapairoiopposinginterconnected levers disposed in adjoining relation to said arm, one 0! said levers being co-pivoted with saidarm and in operative engagement with said second cam, and the other being pivoted intermediate its ends to the free end of the actuating arm and operatively connected to said tumtable, whereby when the first-named cam is rendered operative motion is transmitted to said actuating arm and levers ass unit to displace the turntable to and from a selective elevation and and from its playing elevation.

6. In an automatic phonograph, a vertically adjustable turntable adapted to support a stack of records and movable from an initial elevation to diflerent selective elevations companion to a record to be played and to a third elevation at which such record is played, and means for actuating the turntable to such selective and playing elevations including a cam, a vertically-swinging actuating arm in operative engagement with said cam, a second cam, and a pair of opposing interconnected levers disposed ln adjoining relation to said arm and having intermeshing gear segments at their opposing inner ends, one 01 said levers being co-pivoted with said arm and in operative engagement with the second cam, and the companion leve'r being pivoted intermediate its ends to the cam-engaging end of the actuating arm and operatively connected to said turntable.

7. In an automatic phonograph, a vertically adjustable turntable adapted to support a stack of their opposing inner ends, one oi said levers being co-pivoted with said arm and in operative engagement with the second cam, and the companion lever being pivoted intermediate its ends to the cam-engaging end, of the actuating arm and operatively connected to said turntable, and a stop means operatively associated with said levers for limiting their relative displacement in oppositedirections. v

8. In an automatic phonograph, a tone arm, a

vertically adjustable turntable adapted to support a stack oi records andmovable from an initial elevation to diiierent selective elevations companion to a record to be played and to a third elevation at which such record is played, leverage means operatively connected to the turntable for actuating it to its diflerent positions 01' elevation, a cam operatively associated with said leverage means for controlling the movement oi the tumtable to and from its selective elevations, means normally latching said leverage means to function V as a unit during such selective elevating movements oi the turntable, a second cam operatively associated with said leverage means for control-" ating the turntable to such selective and playing elevations including a cam, a vertically-swinging actuating arm in operative engagement with said cam, a second cam, a pair of opposing interconnested levers disposed in adioining relation tosaid arm and having intermeshing gear segments at their opposing inner ends, one of said levers bein: co-pivoted with said arm and in operative engagement with the second cam, and the companion lever being pivoted intermediate its ends to the cam-engaging end of the actuating arm and operatively connected to said turntable, a latching member applied to said actuating arm and normally engageable with one of said segmental gear levers for coupling the same to swing as a unit with the actuating arm, and means governed by said second cam and operatively connected to said latching member for controlling its movements to and from latching position.

OTTO A. HOKANSON. 

